Yea -- What a Bummer. I was not a big fan of Stroker Ace, ( anyone who had read the book Stand On It, on which the movie is " based ", might wonder what movie they're watching ), however it is a nice time capsule of 1982 NASCAR Cup racing. I actually preferred Burt's roles in The Longest Yard and Hooper -- World's Greatest Stuntman; the latter was a great tribute to The Hollywood Stuntman -- BEFORE CGI took over the dirty work.
Burt and Hal Needham did form one of the first NASCAR Super Teams with their Mach One Racing, and they, along with Harry Gant and The Skoal Bandit became an iconic NASCAR team for years. RIP Burt...